‘To him therefore who knows to do good, and does not do it, to him it is sin.’

So there is really only one conclusion that they should come to. They should recognise their mortality and put their efforts into what they know that God wants them to do, and that is to ‘do good’. For if they know what He wants of them and do not do it, for them it is sin.

Thus the stress is on the fact that we should be putting our efforts into doing real good in the world, which is, after all, what we know that we ought to be doing. And for us also, knowing that this is what we ought to do means that it is sin if we do not do it. We should note that the emphasis here, as throughout his letter, is on what we should be doing, not on a negative ‘what we should not do’. For when anyone knows what they ought to do, (such as 1. Avoiding the judgment of others; 2. Being aware of frailty, and therefore looking at things that are unseen rather than having gain as their first concern, because they and it will soon pass away and they will leave it all behind, and especially 3. Doing good wherever possible), and yet does not do it, then that is sin. So he is bringing out that we can sin by what we do, by the attitude that we take up towards life, and by what we do not do, doing genuine good towards others. And it is that that should be our first consideration.

This was one of the stresses of Jesus. The good Samaritan did what was required for a person in need, while the Priest and Levite passed by on the other side (Luk 10:30-37). The rich man saw Lazarus at his gate and did nothing for him (Luk 16:19-31). The people brought before Jesus for judgment had failed in their responsibility to do good to His ‘brothers’, while those who were accepted had done so (Mat 25:31-46). Thus He laid a similar stress on the need for positive goodness, and in the Last Day He will say, ‘inasmuch as you did not do if for the least of these My brothers, you did not do it for Me.’

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Jam 4:17. Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good, &c. “Perhaps some of you, who so much value yourselves for your uncommon wisdom and knowledge, may object and say, These are plain obvious truths, and what we knew so well before, that there was no occasion to speak of them. But, in answer to such an objection, I would observe, that I have now carefully put you in mind of these things; and therefore, if you do not practise accordingly, you will be the more criminal. For he who knows what is good and excellent, and at the same time does not practise accordingly, his sin is aggravated, and his punishment will be the greater.” See Mat 11:20; Mat 11:30. Luk 12:47. Joh 9:41; Joh 13:17; Joh 15:22; Joh 15:24.

Inferences.Alas! What dreadful work do the lusts of pride, covetousness, and envy make in the world! Hence proceed wars, and all manner of discords that are destructive to civil and religious society, and to a man’s own soul: they carry him into wicked desires and attempts, which can turn to no good account; and either make him cast off prayer, or pervert its ends in asking temporal advantages, that he may gratify his own corruptions, instead of glorifying God and doing good with them. No wonder that such carnal prayers are not answered.O what an enemy to God, what an adulterous disaffection to him in professors of his name, is an excessive fondness for any thing of this world! How justly does the scripture condemn this sensual temper, which naturally works in man! And how contrary is it to the suggestions and influences of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in true believers, and freely gives grace, with all needful increases of it, to humble souls; but rejects the proud with abhorrence and disdain! How unsuitable to our creaturely dependance and Christian character is it, to form and prosecute schemes for this world, without a religious sense of, and dependance on the providence of God; as if our times and the success of our affairs lay in our own hands, though life itself is but as a vapour that soon vanishes away! Surely every thing ought to be undertaken with an eye to God, and submission to his will. A contrary way of thinking and talking is a vain-glorious boast, dishonourable to God, and injurious to ourselves and others. It is indeed a scandal to the Christian name, that all or any of the forementioned impieties should be found among gospel professors; and it is a high aggravation of their sin to go against the light of their own consciences in practising them. O how earnest should we be in our addresses to God for his grace, to enable us to submit to his commanding and disposing will, and in bewailing our iniquities, and humbling ourselves before him for them! And what encouragement have we, in this way, to hope for his reviving presence and liftings up! And if, in a dependance on divine strength, we resist the temptations of the devil, he will find us too hard for him, and flee, like a conquered enemy, before us. But how cautious should we be, never to imitate his temper, and give him an advantage over us, by slandering, censuring, and condemning our Christian brethren for little things, or things that may be allowable in them! This is to set up for judges, instead of obeyers of the law; and is a violation of its requirements to love them as ourselves; yea, is an invasion of God’s prerogative, who alone is able effectually to vindicate its authority: O may it be unto our salvation, and not to our destruction!

REFLECTIONS.1st, Inordinate desire after earthly things, is the usual ground of contention; against this therefore the apostle warns them.

1. He ascribes to this the wars or contentions which then were notorious among them. From whence come wars and fightings among you? which some suppose has reference to the many seditions of the Jewish people against the Roman government; but rather refers to the contentions of law-suits which were maintained by those who made a profession of Christianity, and which were so unbecoming the name they bore; come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Yes: to the pride and covetousness of your hearts do these owe their origin, and tend to the ruin of religion, and the peace of the church, provoking God to withdraw his Spirit from you. Ye lust, and long to gratify your criminal passions, and have not what you grasp after: ye kill, impatient to inherit, and wishing those dead whom you expect to succeed; and desire to have, grasping covetously after abundance, and cannot obtain; disappointment blasts your pursuits: ye fight and war, contending fiercely for superiority, wealth, and victory; yet ye have not, your schemes and designs are defeated, because ye ask not, neglecting to seek counsel of God in your enterprizes, and not desiring his direction and blessing. And ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss: neither praying for right things, nor with a right view, but eager after earthly gain; that ye may consume it upon your lusts, not to employ it for God’s glory and the good of mankind. Note; (1.) Nothing is more contrary to the spirit of Christianity, than covetousness and fierce disputes. (2.) They who do not seek God’s blessing, justly meet with disappointment in one way or other in all their enterprizes. (3.) To ask amiss is as bad as not to ask at all; nor may we expect an answer to those prayers which worldly-mindedness and selfishness, not God’s glory, dictates.

2. He solemnly warns them against intimate connection with the world that lieth in wickedness. Ye adulterers and adulterers, whose affections are alienated from Christ, to whom ye were once espoused; know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? all undue attachment to the pleasures, interests, honours of the world, and delight in the company of the worldly-minded, are utterly inconsistent with fidelity to God, and real friendship with him; nay, are virtually a profession of enmity against him. Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world, and at all events is resolved to keep fair with the men of the world, he is, and must be, the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, in many passages describing the deadly corruption of the natural heart, The spirit that dwelleth in us, lusteth to envy? and, till renewed by grace, is ever with a longing eye regarding the superior prosperity and influence of others, and grasping after the like abundance: this spirit must therefore be mortified, or we must be condemned with the world.

3. He directs them how to overcome the world. But he, even God, giveth more grace than the world can give snares, and hath infinitely greater riches to bestow than this poor earth can proffer. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, who make flesh their arm, and place their happiness and confidence in worldly things, vain of their own wisdom, riches, or attainments; these he fights against, blasts their designs, and ruins their confidences: but he giveth grace unto the humble, who, sensible of their own wants and weakness, bow down at his feet for relief. Submit yourselves therefore to God, to his guidance and government, obedient to his will and word, resigned to his providence, and content with the portion which he allots you, whatever it be. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you, as a vanquished foe, unable to contend with those who have put on the whole armour of God, and appear resolved to fight manfully under Christ’s banner. Draw nigh to God, in fervent prayer for help, and he will draw nigh to you, with comfort, strength, and salvation, in every time of need, and will make you more than conquerors.

4. He exhorts them to put away every evil thing, and with real penitence to return to God. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, in the atoning blood of Jesus, that you may lift them up with acceptance before the throne of grace; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded, from pride, envy, covetousness, and hypocrisy; seeking that grace which can alone be effectual for this blessed purpose. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep over the deep corruption and sinfulness of your hearts, and under a sense of your past grievous departures from God. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness, ashamed and confounded at your past baseness, ingratitude, and unfaithfulness to a dying Redeemer. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, acknowledging your vileness, and imploring his pardoning grace and help; and he shall lift you up with the arms of his love, and recover you from your backslidings, and restore you to his favour. Note; (1.) They who would find acceptance with God must approach him as cleansed, or desiring to be cleansed, with atoning blood, and without hypocrisy desiring indeed to be received into the arms of his mercy. (2.) They who have unfaithfully departed from God, need with shame, remorse, and mourning, return to him, humbling their souls before him, that he may lift them up. (3.) None perish, who cast themselves at the footstool of divine mercy, and continue to cleave to the Divine Redeemer: it is God’s delight to revive the spirit of the humble, and to heal the broken-hearted.

2nd, The former subject is resumed, concerning the right government of the tongue; and we are,
1. Warned against all reviling and rash censure. Speak not evil one of another, brethren; inventing falsehoods, exposing the infirmities, publishing the failings, divulging the secrets, aggravating the offences, or detracting from the excellencies, one of another. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, in things which God hath left indifferent, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law; arraigning the wisdom, equity, and goodness of the Lawgiver, as if he permitted what he ought to condemn: but if thou arrogantly judge the law, and pretend to decide what is fit to be enjoined, and what not, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy; invested with supreme authority to enact laws, able to reward the faithful, and punish the disobedient. This is his prerogative; to invade it, is the highest insolence. Who art thou, a poor, despicable, perishing worm, that judgest another, and darest thus to usurp the throne of God? Note; (1.) Where we cannot in conscience speak well of a person, it is our duty at least to be silent. (2.) Since God hath reserved for himself to determine concerning men’s everlasting state, and has given us his law as our only rule of duty, it becomes us to make nothing sin, which he has not declared to be evil; nor ought we to erect another court of judicature over our brethren, where men’s opinions, not the word of God, are to decide.

2. He inculcates constant dependance upon divine Providence. Go to now, ye who forget your entire dependance upon God’s disposal of you, and that say, with self-sufficiency and disregard of him, To-day or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy, and sell, and get gain; as if your time, and the success of your enterprizes, were in your own hands, and dependent upon your own wisdom and diligence. Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow, or whether you shall live to the rising of another sun. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away; so fleeting, so transitory is it, and every hour in jeopardy; the consideration of which should teach you to speak less confidently. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that; adding this humble proviso, and owning your dependance for life, ability, or success in every enterprize, upon him, in whose hands your breath is, and whose are all your ways. But now ye rejoice in your boastings, and talk as if you were ceasing to be creatures under the care and keeping of your great Creator. All such rejoicing in your own self-sufficiency is evil, very offensive to God, and bringing great guilt upon your souls. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin; highly aggravated, as he wilfully opposes the dictates of his own conscience, and treasures up wrath against the day of wrath. Note; (1.) In all our ways we should consider God, and in every undertaking beg his blessing, and commit ourselves to his guidance. (2.) When we know better, and do worse, we are most inexcusable, and shall lie down under peculiar condemnation.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Jas 4:17 . With the general sentence: Whosoever knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin , James concludes what he has hitherto said.

] is used in the sense of conclusion, but indicates that the concluding thought is the result of what has gone before.

] belong together, dependent on ; not “whosoever knows the good that is to be done,” which would be to take as an epexegetical infinitive. Wiesinger correctly remarks: “ is not the idea of good, in which case the article would be put, but that which is fair, in contrast to an action which in its moral nature is .” That the discourse is concerning a sin of omission as such, to which this sentence is commonly referred (Bengel, Jachmann, and others), is rightly contested by de Wette and Wiesinger. [212]

] De Wette: “In the sense of reckoning; Joh 15:22 ; Luk 12:47 f.” (so already Estius, also Schneckenburger, Wiesinger, and others).

is here put, as frequently in the N. T., especially after the participle; comp. Mat 5:40 ; see Al. Buttmann, p. 125 [E. T. 143]. With regard to the connection in which this sentence stands with the preceding, most expositors understand it as enforcing that to which James has formerly exhorted his readers, and refer to the knowledge which they have now received by the word of James. But against this is the objection, that if this expression be referred to all the previous exhortations (Estius: jam de omnibus satis vos admonui, vobis bene nota sunt), this would not be its proper place, because later on more exhortations follow; but if it is only referred to the last remark (Grotius: moniti estis a me, ignorantiam non potestis obtendere, si quid posthac tale dixeritis, gravior erit culpa; so also Pott, Theile, de Wette, Wiesinger), we cannot see why James should have added such a remark to this exhortation, as it would be equally suitable to any other. It is accordingly better to refer to the already existing knowledge of the subject just treated of; namely, the uncertainty of human life is something so manifest, that those who notwithstanding talk in their presumption as if it did not exist, as if their life were not dependent on God, contrary to their own knowledge, do not that which is seemly, but that which is unseemly, and therefore this is so much the more sin unto them. [213]

[212] “Since is the antithesis of , and not some positive good as beneficence, the defect of which is not , as de Wette correctly remarks, does not merely signify a sin of omission, but the omission of is necessarily a doing of .”

[213] When Lange, in arguing against this explanation, maintains that the word refers to the better knowledge of the readers, of evangelical behaviour in general, the definite connection of thought, in which here the general sentence is placed, is not properly considered by him.

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

DISCOURSE: 2373
SINS OF OMISSION CONSIDERED

Jam 4:17. To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

THERE is not any thing of which men are more convinced, than the shortness and uncertainty of life: yet in the habit of their minds they live as if they were certain of many months and years to come. They form their plans and projects as if they were sure of living to see them executed. Of this the Apostle complains in the preceding context, because it altogether overlooks God in the government of the world, and is nothing less than practical atheism.
Having pointed out the evil of such a habit, the Apostle deduces from it this general position; that, as the person who in theory acknowledges the providence of God, and practically denies it, sins; so, whoever omits to do any other thing which he knows to be right, sins also.
It is my intention,

I.

To confirm this truth

Let us consider what such conduct manifests. It argues,

1.

An insensibility in the conscience

[God has given to every man a conscience, to be, as it were, his vicegerent in the soul. It is designed by him to check us, when we are in danger of committing any evil, and to stimulate us continually to whatever is pleasing in his sight. But if, when we know what is good, we do it not, we shew that we have silenced the voice of conscience, or have rendered ourselves incapable of attending to its suggestions. And is this no sin? Is a sentinel who sleeps at his post guilty of no crime, when through his unwatchfulness a camp or city is surprised? And is not a minister, who, when he seeth the sword of Gods vengeance uplifted to strike his people, neglects to warn them, justly chargeable with their blood [Note: Eze 33:6.]? Shall not guilt then attach to you, who lull your consciences asleep, and say to yourselves, I shall have peace, notwithstanding I walk after the imagination of my own evil heart [Note: Deu 29:19-20.]? The very heathen were charged with guilt, because, when from the works of creation they knew God, they glorified him not as God [Note: Rom 1:21.]: depend upon it, therefore, that your neglect of known and acknowledged duties cannot but involve your souls also in much guilt.]

2.

An indifference to the welfare of our own souls

[It is by our works that we shall be judged in the last day. We are as servants that have talents committed to us: they who make a good improvement of them will have a proportionable reward: but those who hide them in a napkin will be dealt with as wicked and unprofitable servants [Note: Luk 19:15-27.]. What then do you say, in fact, when you neglect an acknowledged duty? You say, in reality, I care not for my soul; I care not whether it is happy in a future world, or not: I know that by a diligent attention to all Gods commands, I might advance its eternal interests: and I know that by inattention to his will I shall involve it in misery: but let me have present ease; let me be excused the trouble of doing what does not suit my taste and inclination: let me have the world with its pleasures and interests: and if through my love to present things I must lose my soul, be it so: I consent to the exchange [Note: Mat 16:26.]: I will sell my birth-right for a mess of pottage [Note: Heb 12:16.]. Tell me now, Is there nothing criminal in this? May not such persons be justly charged with loving death, and wronging their own souls [Note: Pro 8:36.]? Yes: whether a man do a thing of which he doubts the lawfulness, or neglect to do a thing of which he admits the necessity, he is equally a sinner against his own soul: for, as whatsoever is not of faith, is sin [Note: Rom 14:23.], so to know what is good and to neglect it, is sin also.]

3.

A contempt of Almighty God

[Whatever obedience a man may pay to all other commandments, if there be one which he knowingly violates, or wilfully neglects, he is a rebel against God, and a contemner of his Divine Majesty [Note: Psa 10:13. Luk 10:16.]. For the same authority that enjoins one, enjoins all: and if it be disregarded in one, it is in reality disregarded in all [Note: Jam 2:10-11.]: for it is impossible to have a due regard to it in any thing, if we have not a regard to it in every thing. And is it no sin to cast off the yoke of God, and to say, As for the word that has been spoken to me in the name of the Lord, I will not hearken unto it [Note: Jer 44:16.]? Our blessed Lord has told us what he will say to such persons in the last day: Bring hither those that were mine enemies, who would not that I should reign over them, and slay them before me. Those who knew not their Lords will, and sinned through ignorance, are chargeable with guilt, and will be visited with punishment; because they had the means of instruction, and did not diligently improve them: but if the servant who knew not his Lords will shall be beaten with few stripes, be assured, that the servant who knew his Lords will and did it not, shall be beaten with many stripes [Note: Luk 12:47-48.].]

Verily this is a solemn truth, and deeply to be weighed by every child of man. Let me therefore proceed,

II.

To suggest some reflections arising out of it

Who that duly considers it must not see,

1.

What ground we all have for humiliation before God

[I will suppose that we have never committed any enormous sin, and that in respect of the letter of the law we have been as blameless as ever Paul was previous to his conversion: still, are we not sinners? There has been no doubt on any of our minds whether we had occasion for the acknowledged duties of repentance, faith, and obedience: but have we diligently performed these duties? Have we from day to day humbled ourselves before God, and wept in dust and ashes? Have we laboured to find out all our past transgressions, to spread them before God with penitential sorrow, and to implore with all earnestness the remission of them? Have we fled to the Lord Jesus Christ for refuge, as to the hope that is set before us? Have we pleaded before God the merit of his sacrifice, and sprinkled our souls with his all-atoning blood? Is this the daily habit of our minds; and the only source of peace to our souls? And have we given up ourselves to God without reserve, to fulfil his every command, and to live altogether to his glory? Do we for this end study his blessed word with all diligence, that we may know his mind? and do we labour incessantly to stand perfect and complete in all the will of God? We have known these things to be right; but have we done them? Can we appeal to the heart-searching God, that this has been, and yet is, the daily tenour of our lives? Must we not rather acknowledge, that no one day of our lives has been so occupied with these duties as it ought to have been? Then we are sinners, sinners before the Lord exceedingly [Note: Gen 13:13.]: and, if we turn not to God in newness of life, we shall speedily become monuments of his wrath and fiery indignation.]

2.

The folly of seeking salvation by any righteousness of our own

[I will not only grant, as before, that we are free from any gross sins, but I will admit, that we have done a great deal that was good and praiseworthy. But how shall we get rid of this immense load of guilt which we have contracted by our wilful and habitual neglects? Our good deeds, admitting that we have performed some, have been only occasional: whereas our neglects have been continual, from the first moment that we began to be capable of acting. Our good deeds have all been marred with imperfections; but our neglects have had in them no mixture of good: they were pure and unmixed evil; and in comparison of them, any good that we do is lighter than dust upon the balance. In truth, no man who reflected a moment on my text could any more entertain a hope of being justified by any righteousness of his own, than he could form a purpose to create a world. He would see, that, whilst he was doing those very works on which he was inclined to build his hopes, the weakness and defectiveness of his exertions infinitely outweighed any merit which they might be supposed to have; and rendered his works a just ground for condemnation, rather than of justification before God. Bear in mind then the declaration before us; and limit not your views to sins of commission, but extend them to sins of omission: and then you will no longer hesitate to renounce all hope in yourselves, but will say with the Apostle Paul, I desire to be found in Christ, not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith [Note: Php 3:9.].]

3.

The improvement which we should make of divine ordinances

[We should not come to the house of God merely to satisfy conscience and to perform a duty, but really to get instruction respecting the mind and will of God. A mariner about to navigate a ship, and having the assistance of a skilful builder to examine whether she was in a state fit for sea, would not listen to his observations as a mere matter of curiosity or amusement, nor would he shut his eyes to any defects that were pointed out: his object would be, to find out defects, in order to their being remedied: and if only a doubt were suggested, he would endeavour to ascertain how far there was any foundation for it. He would say, I am about to commit my life and property to this vessel, and I must not stay till I am got into the midst of the ocean before I search into her state: it will be too late to do that when I am in the midst of a storm: I must do it now, before I go on board. Precisely in this way should you come up to the house of God. You are about to embark for eternity: and the instructions given by your minister are intended to point out every defect in your vessel, in order to its being remedied in time. Shut not then your ears to his instructions; and close not your eyes to your defects: but bless God for every assistance which you can obtain in a matter of such infinite importance, and endeavour to improve it for the salvation of your soul. In particular, search out your defects; and cry mightily to God to pardon them for the Redeemers sake, and to repair them by the influences of his good Spirit: so may you hope to navigate in safety this tempestuous ocean; and in due season to have an abundant entrance into the haven of eternal bliss.]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

REFLECTIONS

My soul! while reading this Chapter, and hearing God the Spirit putting that Solemn question to thee, from whence come wars and fightings in thy two-fold nature; a spirit regenerated; and a body of flesh virtually all sin: oh! bless that gracious, that sovereign, that bountiful God, who, by his quickening and illuminating power, hath opened thine eyes to the view of the awful state in which thou wert born in nature, and the distinguishing mercy manifested to thee in grace; and though still groaning under a body of sin and corruption, bless the Lord for thy redemption in Christ, by which thou hast gotten the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ. And, my soul, see! that amidst all the wounds from sin, which, in the present warfare thou art daily sustaining, bless thy God and Savior, the issue of the conflict is not doubtful. Thy God will give thee grace to resist the devil, and he will flee from thee. Thy God will enable thee to draw nigh to him, and he will draw nigh to thee. Satan knoweth that he hath but a short time. Let nothing keep thee from the throne of grace. Here all thy strength is found. Look to Jesus, who is both thy wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, as well as redemption. In Him shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory. And, do thou look forward with holy joy to the morrow, the day, even the great day of God, when Jesus will come to take thee home to his eternal kingdom. Let men of the world, from the world, seek their supreme joy. Yea, let them go from city to city, to traffic in the concerns of this world’s good. Be it thy happiness to eye Jesus, even in the necessary things the body is occupied with here below. Soon thou shalt have done with all earthly employments, and the everlasting enjoyment of God in Christ will be thy portion forevermore.

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Ver. 17. To him that knoweth ] Lest they should reply, we know all this, that except we live and God list, we can do nothing. Do ye know to do well, saith he, and do it not? this increaseth your guilt. Sin against knowledge is sin with an accent, wickedness with a witness, such as is not to be excused by any plea or colour. See Joh 9:41 . See Trapp on “ Joh 9:41 “

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

17 .] This conclusion is most naturally understood to refer to the universal notoriety of the shortness of human life, and to apply only to the subject just treated. Otherwise, if, as many Commentators, we take it for a general conclusion to all that has gone before, we must understand it as Estius, “Jam de his omnibus satis vos admonui, vobis bene nota sunt:” in which case this would hardly be the place for it, considering that more exhortations follow, ch. 5. Grotius takes it to mean, “Moniti estis a me, ignorantiam non potestis obtendere, si quid tale posthac dixeritis, gravior erit culpa:” and so Theile, Wiesinger, De Wette, al. But in this case, why should such a conclusion follow this, rather than any other exhortation? So that ( here does not prove what follows, but refers the particular case to the general principle; q. d. therefore we see ‘hoc exemplo’ the truth of the general axiom, &c.) to him who knoweth to do good (not : is not any positive good, as beneficence; but merely the opposite of . So Wiesinger, rightly: and is the object after , not the epexegetic inf. as De Wette, “knows the good, that he must do it”) and doeth it not (not merely, omits to do it , as might be the case if it were some one definite deed that was spoken of. It is not sins of omission that men are here convicted of, as so often mistakenly supposed: but the doing , as in the case of the speech above supposed, where is easy and obvious), it is sin to him (i. e. reckoned to him as sin. Schneckenburger well remarks, “Videre licet, Jacobum omnia. ad thema suum primarium revocare, recti scientiam requirere recti exercitationem”).

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

Jas 4:17 . Although this verse may be regarded as standing independent of what has preceded, and as being in the form of a more or less inexact quotation, it is quite permissible to take it with what has gone before. Those to whom the words have been addressed had, to some extent, erred through thoughtlessness; now that things have been made quite plain to them, they are in a position to know how to act; if, therefore, in spite of knowing now how to act aright, the proper course is neglected, then it is sinful. This seems to be the point of the words of this verse. The words are perhaps an echo of Luk 12:47 , . With cf. Gal 6:9 , . : for the converse of this, namely, doing what is wrong in ignorance in which case it is excusable see Act 3:17 , “And now, brethren, I wot that in ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers”; 1Ti 1:13 , “ howbeit, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief”. It is, however, quite possible that we have in these words the enunciation of the principle that sins of omission are as sinful as those of commission; when our Lord says, “ these things ought ye to have done, and not to have left the other undone” (Mat 23:23 ), it is clear that the sins of omission are regarded as wilful sin equally with those of commission, cf. Mat 25:41-45 . There is always a tendency to reckon the things which are left undone as less serious than actually committed sin; this was certainly, though not wholly so, in Judaism. It is exceptional when we read, for example, in 1Sa 12:23 , “God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you”; as a rule sins of omission are regarded as venial, according to the Jewish doctrine, and are not punishable. The conception of sin according to Rabbinical ideas is well seen in what is called the ‘Al Cht ( i.e. , “For the sin,” from the opening words of each sentence in the great Widdui [“Confession”] said on Yom Kippur [“the Day of Atonement”]); in the long list of sins here, mention is made only of committed sins. In the Jerusalem Talmud ( Yoma , viii. 6) it is said that the Day of Atonement brings atonement, even without repentance, for sins of omission; in Pesikta , 7 b the words in Zep 1:12 , “I will search Jerusalem with candles, and I will punish the men ,” are commented on by saying, “not by daylight, nor with the torch, but with candles, so as not to detect venial sins,” among these being, of course, included sins of omission. Although this is, in the main, the traditional teaching, there are some exceptions to be found, e.g., Shabbath , 54 b ; “ ‘Whosoever is in a position to prevent sins being committed by the members of his household, but refrains from doing so, becomes liable for their sins.’ The same rule applies to the govenour of a town, or even of a whole country” (see Jewish Encycl. , xi. 378).

Having regard to the very Jewish character of our Epistle, it is quite possible that in the verse before us the reference is to this subject of sins of omission.

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

sin. App-128.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

17.] This conclusion is most naturally understood to refer to the universal notoriety of the shortness of human life, and to apply only to the subject just treated. Otherwise, if, as many Commentators, we take it for a general conclusion to all that has gone before, we must understand it as Estius, Jam de his omnibus satis vos admonui, vobis bene nota sunt: in which case this would hardly be the place for it, considering that more exhortations follow, ch. 5. Grotius takes it to mean, Moniti estis a me, ignorantiam non potestis obtendere, si quid tale posthac dixeritis, gravior erit culpa: and so Theile, Wiesinger, De Wette, al. But in this case, why should such a conclusion follow this, rather than any other exhortation? So that ( here does not prove what follows, but refers the particular case to the general principle; q. d. therefore we see hoc exemplo the truth of the general axiom, &c.) to him who knoweth to do good (not : is not any positive good, as beneficence; but merely the opposite of . So Wiesinger, rightly: and is the object after , not the epexegetic inf. as De Wette, knows the good, that he must do it) and doeth it not (not merely, omits to do it, as might be the case if it were some one definite deed that was spoken of. It is not sins of omission that men are here convicted of, as so often mistakenly supposed: but the doing , as in the case of the speech above supposed, where is easy and obvious), it is sin to him (i. e. reckoned to him as sin. Schneckenburger well remarks, Videre licet, Jacobum omnia. ad thema suum primarium revocare, recti scientiam requirere recti exercitationem).

Fuente: The Greek Testament

Jam 4:17. , to him who knows) A brief conclusion, leaving the haughty to themselves.-, not) A sin of omission.

Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament

sin

Sin. (See Scofield “Rom 3:23”).

Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes

Luk 12:47, Luk 12:48, Joh 9:41, Joh 13:17, Joh 15:22, Rom 1:20, Rom 1:21, Rom 1:32, Rom 2:17-23, Rom 7:13

Reciprocal: Deu 15:9 – sin unto thee 2Ki 21:9 – they hearkened Neh 6:13 – and sin Job 24:13 – rebel Dan 5:22 – though Luk 6:47 – doeth Luk 19:20 – Lord Joh 19:11 – the greater Rom 2:18 – knowest Rom 2:23 – that makest Heb 10:26 – after Jam 1:22 – be 1Pe 3:11 – do

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

SINFUL NEGLECT

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Jam 4:17

It is with the Divine, as it is with the human, statute bookno man convicted at the bar may plead before his judge that he did not know the law of which his crime is the transgression. As a citizen, he is expected to be acquainted with the whole constitutions and enactments of his country.

I wish to speak plainly about certain omissions or neglects in different relationships of life.

I. Clergy and people.In connection with this relationship, I should speak indeed of the many kindnesses; but I have to deal, now, with two large and painful omissionsomissions which, to a great extent, sap the whole power of the ministry.

(a) The first is, that you do not recognise us, and receive us, in our simple character of Gods ambassadors to your souls. You praise, or you criticise; you like, or you dislike; but it is the manyou are occupied with the man. But the man is naught. The appointmentthe officethe word sentthe purpose of the Senderthe high majesty which is represented: these are the realities; these are the eternal verities; these, in your mind, are not. And hence the relationship, to a great extent, grows commonplace, secular, impotent, untrue.

(b) Secondly, you do not remember, as you ought, the apostolic injunction, three times repeated, Brethren, pray for us!

II. People and Church.Are not some of you wanting to the Church, viewed as the collective body of Christs people?

(a) When some meeting for united, extemporaneous prayer is held elsewhere, you go to it with earnestness and delight. But why, when the churchs doors are open for prayer onlyprayer more scriptural and more comprehensive, by far, than any extemporaneous prayer ever was or ever can be in this world, why are you not present then? Why ought one assembly to be counted by hundreds, and the other by tens?

(b) And further, there is a fault amongst us, that some Christians think themselves altogether so little in their collective capacity. Many are full of their own individual position towards Godtheir inner lifetheir own souls growth and prosperity. But they do not recognise their united strength and their relative engagement. They do not think of themselves as a part of one great compact system.

III. Rich and poor.Intimately connected with this absence of the true spirit of Christian fellowship, stands the lack of a right feeling between the rich and poor. I speak not of you all. For, in this congregation, as in every other, it is the same persons, and those comparatively few, who do all the works of charity.

(a) Yet even to you, whose good deeds towards your fellow-creatures abound, I may say, Is there not yet an omission? You visityou teachyou give: but is it in that real spirit of humilitythat entire absence of all feeling of superioritythat perfect equality in your own mind, and that sympathy of heart, without which love is scarcely love?

(b) And to my poorer Christian brethren let me speak a word, let me ask, is not there an omission also on your part in thisthat, accustomed to view yourself rather as the receivers, than the givers, of kindness, and acts of usefulness, you do not recognise your duty enough to go forth with tenderness and prayerfulness, and acts of love towards the rich. And yet, believe me, the obligation is reciprocal.

IV. Customer and tradesman.Let me follow the same want of thoughtfulness into another relationship of lifeyour transactions with your tradesmen.

(a) Many persons find a pleasure and a fascination in buying cheap things. They love to make good bargains. And what is the result? Universally, where anything is bought below its proper and customary value, some one has been defrauded of his right of labour. Either the shopkeeper, or, as is more generally the case, the poor maker of the article, has been ground. It is a very rare thing indeed that there is ever a cheap thing without an injustice and a hardship somewhere!

(b) Many take long creditleaving their bills unpaid beyond the period when, according to the rules of business, the tradesman has a right to expect his money. The consequence is, that not only does the tradesman lose his proper profitbut often he is actually injured and distressed by the delay! In both cases, religion is evil spoken of, and the cause of truth suffers. It is not that there is any wilful or intentional injusticethat would be abhorrent to your mind. But there is the omission of consideration for the feeling and the position of that tradesman, and that omission is spreading a wide amount of suffering in this town; and therefore that omission is sin.

V. Who can go even thus far in searching out the things in which he knows to do good, and does it not, without feeling that all life is one great omission? And if any man think that subjects such as these are not part of the gospel, or that they do not belong to this pulpit, he very little knows the character of the one or the duties of the other. For Christ unfolded His holiness, and the cross itself is only a means to the image of God; and that image, like any other faithful copy, lies in the good feeling and in the accurateness of the division of the principle. Through the small holes in the fences, the foxes, the little foxes come in, which spoil the vines. The dead flies destroy the sweetest ointment; and let every man take care that he understands well for himself what that means, Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Rev. James Vaughan.

Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary

Jas 4:17. Knoweth to do good has special reference to the information offered in the preceding verses. We should first learn if what we plan is right, then also remember the frailty of human life and plan accordingly. This is the way to do that which is good and not in the boastful manner as described. But the principle expressed for this special case would apply to all other relations of life.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Jas 4:17. Therefore: not a mere general inference drawn from what St. James has said in the previous part of his Epistle, but a particular inference drawn from this spirit of vain boasting.

to him that knoweth to do good: not to be limited to mere benevolent actions, knoweth to do good works, but to embrace our whole moral conductknoweth to do what is right: good here is opposed to what is sinful and wrong.

and doeth it not, to him it is sin. The omission of good is undoubtedly a sin, as well as the commission of evil. We have here the statement of an important principle, which is susceptible of endless applications. The application in the present case appears to be as follows: You have the unquestionable knowledge of the uncertainty of life; you know that it is your duty to realize your dependence on God; if then you do not do so, it you act as if you were your own masters, to you it is sin. You know the right and do the wrong, and therefore are convicted of sin. (Compare Joh 9:41.)

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

Observe here, 1. That sins of ignorance are sins, and render men greatly culpable, though ignorance will in some degree lessen their punishment.

Observe here, 2. That to sin against light and knowledge is a very heinous aggravation of sin; because the knowlege of our duty lays us under the greatest obligation to do it.

3. That the greater advantages and opportunities any man has of knowing his duty; and the more knowlege he sins against in not doing of it, the greater is his sin, and the more grievous will be his condemnation.

Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament

Verse 17

The meaning is, that now, after receiving the plain instructions which James had given above, if any still persisted in the sin which he had condemned, they would be doubly guilty.

Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament

4:17 {9} Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin.

(9) The conclusion of all the former treatise. The knowledge of the will of God does not only not at all profit, unless the life be answerable unto it, but also makes the sins far more grievous.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

2. The concluding exhortation 4:17

The person James just pictured was guilty of a sin of omission. He failed to acknowledge the place God occupies in life (cf. Joh 9:41). In concluding this discussion of conflicts, James reminded his readers to put into practice what they knew. They should avoid presumption and self-confidence, and they should submit themselves humbly to God. Failure to do this is sin.

"They cannot take refuge in the plea that they have done nothing positively wrong; as Scripture makes abundantly clear, sins of omission are as real and serious as sins of commission." [Note: Moo, p. 158.]

The verse that concludes each major section of James’ epistle, each chapter, is a proverbial statement. It summarizes James’ point in the preceding section and states it in a pithy way that is easy to remember. However, the statement in this verse is applicable to all that James wrote in this book.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)